one day when the sun was hot and she was tired, tuen said to szu impatiently:
"don't you know anything except about the old kings and their wars?"
now szu, although he was old and blind and feeble, was well endowed with tact and quickness, and after revolving the question in his mind, he answered graciously:
"there are two stories that i have not yet told you, and they might be of interest to you, since they are of women, and of women, too, who dwelt within the forbidden city."
"let me hear them," tuen said [pg 139]listlessly. "i did not know there were any stories about women. i thought they were all about men."
"there have been females—though their number is few—whose names the bards have perpetuated," the old man replied.
"you may commence," tuen interrupted, her curiosity aroused.
seating himself on the deck of the boat, and folding his hands, his head thrown back and his sightless eyes seeming to gaze before him, szu began in a monotonous, sing-song voice, that yet was clear and soft:
"it happened many years, aye, many centuries, ago—this strange event that i tell to you now as but a passing tale. and yet the fame of this woman will endure forever, though all things else belonging to that far-away time have perished. at this remote period of which i speak kaou-tsung, the second emperor of the[pg 140] tang dynasty, was seated upon the throne. great was the prosperity of the empire, and rumors of its glories and of its wonders spread to the outer regions, and ambassadors came from nepaul, persia, and even from a far-away dominion called rome, to pay tribute to the son of heaven. he had magnificent palaces and stately temples, and he numbered his warriors by thousands. then, as it has ever been, for we are the one nation favored by the gods, we were civilized and wise, and all other people came to learn of us, even as it is to this very day. kaou-tsung built canals and cities, following the example of his illustrious father, and bestowed peace and plenty on all his subjects, but still he was not content. he had women from the various provinces to while away his tedious hours, but they were all alike stupid and silly, and he found no pleasure with them.
"'surely in my kingdom there lives one[pg 141] female who combines both wisdom and beauty,' he exclaimed one day, and after due deliberation he sent forth his minister to seek for a woman who was both wise and pretty. when he heard of the mission entrusted to him the minister sighed and shook his head.
"'your quest is vain,' he told his sovereign. 'there lives not such a being. all women are but foolish creatures, and those endowed with beauty are the most foolish of all. they wear their gifts upon the outside, and within them there is naught.'
"'presume not to argue with me,' kaou-tsung cried angrily, 'but go and do as i have commanded.'
"now, this minister was most skilful with the pencil, and the emperor instructed him to traverse the length and breadth of his vast possessions, letting it be known everywhere that he sought the fairest and the wisest in the land to be the[pg 142] bride of the king, and whenever he found one who appeared to possess these necessary qualifications, he was to make a picture of her. when his quest was ended, he was to return to the court, bringing with him these likenesses of the fair maidens of the land, and the emperor would select the one that pleased him best. but when the minister was gone he saw in this a chance to enrich himself, and as all women were desirous of being the chosen one he drew not any who did not give him costly offerings. the emperor, waiting in his palace, knew not of this, and was most impatient for his return. in the meantime, some one brought news to the court of the surpassing loveliness of a girl named woo how, who was a daughter of a cultivator of the soil. when he heard the reports of the wonderful beauty of this maiden the emperor sent a courier in great haste after his minister, bearing the message:
[pg 143]
"'return not without the likeness of woo how.'
"the minister forthwith went in search of this beauteous one, and when he found her she was fairer than any woman he had ever seen, and conducted herself in a modest way, yielding ready answers to all his questions. but alas, the father was very poor, and could not pay the price demanded by the mercenary minister, therefore this unworthy servant of a generous king drew a picture of exceeding ugliness, and under it he wrote the name of woo how, for he was determined that no one should be empress who did not first buy his favor. at last this scheming official—maou-yen-show by name—came back to court, bringing with him a collection of pictures of the so-called beauties of the land, who had paid him well to be their ambassador. the emperor examined them critically.
"'this one pleases me not. her nose[pg 144] is too long,' he said, casting aside the first one.
"'and this one is ugly enough to scare the dragon away,' he exclaimed when he saw the second.
"'this one's mouth is all askew,' was his comment on the third, and so he ran through the whole list, finding none that pleased him.
"'i might as well send a blind man to pick out a beautiful female as this stolid maou-yen-show,' he cried angrily, when he had finished. 'truly he knows not the difference between a woman and a demon.'
"but the minister bowing obsequiously insisted that these were indeed the most beautiful in the land.
"'then i want none of them,' his sovereign replied, 'for an uglier lot i never beheld.'
"after this kaou-tsung made no further attempt to find himself a fitting bride, but[pg 145] was immersed in the affairs of state. one day, however, as he rode forth, surrounded by his troops, to take his annual hunt, he saw beside the road a young girl of such wondrous loveliness that he could not take his eyes from her face.
"'bring her to me,' he ordered his attendants, as she, not knowing that it was the emperor and his suite, but thinking that it was only some great mandarin, would have passed on.
"when the soldiers approached her, saying at the same time, 'the emperor who waits yonder has sent for you,' she was greatly terrified. her face turned very white, and her knees trembled so that she could hardly stand, for she knew not what was about to befall her.
"when she had prostrated herself before kaou-tsung he ordered all his attendants to withdraw to a little distance and there remain until he summoned them, for he wished to speak, unheard by others, to[pg 146] this fair maiden. when they were alone he said kindly:
"'rise, most beautiful one, for i desire to look at you.'
"blushing at his words, she raised her face but remained upon her knees.
"'verily the sun seemed hid when i saw not your eyes,' kaou-tsung continued, for he was much impressed with her beauty.
"seeing that she did not speak, but only blushed the more, he asked:
"'what is your name?'
"'woo how,' she murmured, all abashed.
"'what!' cried the astonished emperor; 'not woo how, the daughter of one tai-ting?'
"'the very same,' she answered, not knowing why he was amazed.
"'but the picture maou-yen-show brought to me?' he questioned, in great perplexity.
"'ah, i had not the treasures to give[pg 147] him and he would not make it,' she answered sadly.
"at this a light suddenly broke upon kaou-tsung, and he saw the perfidy of the minister he had trusted.
"'rise, most beautiful one in all the land,' he cried to her, 'for you shall be the bride of the emperor. at last have i found the creature i sought.' thus in spite of treachery did the gods bring it to pass that woo how became the empress, for what tên wang decrees must be, no matter how we strive against it."
"that was indeed a charming story," tuen cried enthusiastically, as the old man paused. "it is the nicest one i ever heard."
"it is not yet finished," szu said quickly. "it were but a broken thread if i left it there."
"oh, tell it all to me," she cried eagerly. "i would never tire of listening about her."
[pg 148]
szu nodded his head complacently and cleared his throat. then he went on:
"the happy kaou-tsung forgot about the hunt, and returned at once to his imperial palace, carrying woo how with him. it was so ordained that maou-yen-show was not of the party that attended the emperor that day, and knew nothing of his meeting with woo how. immediately upon his arrival at court kaou-tsung gave the following order:
"'keeper of the yellow gate, bring us that picture that we may view it.'
"looking from it to the charming original before him he exclaimed feelingly:
"'ah, how he has dimmed the purity of the gem, bright as the waves in autumn!'
"then turning to the attendant he said:
"'transmit our pleasure to the officer of the guard to behead maou-yen-show and report to us his execution.'"
